Today, The Oregonian, in conjunction with the Austin American-Statesman, starts a 10-part series comparing Oregon State and Texas ahead of the Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl in San Antonio (3:45 p.m., TV on ESPN).

TRADITION

What to know about Oregon State: When you talk about the Beavers, there's no ignoring the 28-season losing streak. Just a few years after playing in the 1965 Rose Bowl -- a 34-7 loss to Michigan -- Oregon State went on a miserable run that seemed never-ending. From 1971-98, the Beavers were just plain bad, winning a 65 measly games over 28 years.

OSU finally snapped that streak in 1999, becoming bowl eligible under former coach Dennis Erickson. The Beavers had their best season ever in 2000, going 11-1 and throttling college football power Notre Dame 41-9 in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl.

Since Mike Riley took over the Beavers again in 2003, Oregon State is 73-47 (.608). If Oregon State beats Texas on Dec. 29 it will be just the second time the Beavers have won 10 games under Riley; they did so in 2006 when they went 10-4 and beat Missouri 39-38 in the Sun Bowl. That team finished ranked No. 21.

What to know about Texas: There aren't many schools with a richer football tradition than Texas. Darrell Royal really put the Longhorns on the map with national championships in 1963, 1969 and 1970 -- the only titles Texas has won outside of the 2005 season. The Longhorns have won 67 conference titles dating to the beginning of the Southwest Conference in 1915. But only three of those have come in the Big 12.

Texas sits behind only Michigan in all-time wins, with 858. Texas has two Heisman Trophy winners (Earl Campbell in 1977, Ricky Williams in 1998) and two runners-up (Vince Young in 2005, Colt McCoy in 2008).

Still, the past three years have been a shock to the system for Longhorns fans; since the 2009 BCS title game loss to Alabama, Texas has won no more than five conference games in the 2010, 2011 or 2012 seasons.

The Oregonian's Lindsay Schnell says: Between multiple national championships and Heisman winners, the edge clearly goes to Texas. The Longhorns have long been considered one of college football's powerhouses, and they've got the hardware to prove it.

The American-Statesman's Dave Behr says: Despite a recent swoon, Texas without a doubt has a richer football tradition. Four national titles, two Heisman winners, the birthplace of the wishbone offense and, of course, Bevo gives Texas the edge.